Papa Jack Chapter 78

"Any news from the precinct?" Richard asks as he picks up Kate for an afternoon's research.

"A lot! Esposito was practically crowing when he and Ryan called. CSU found traces of blood from both Eric Donnelly and Carlton Snodgrass on the driver's side floor mat in Loretta Peters' car. They figure that it was transferred from the ridges on her fancy running shoes, and there was too little of it for her to notice."

"Especially mixed in with New York City grime," Richard figures.

"And that's not all," Kate continues. "Loretta included Eric Donnelly's cleaned-up chef's knife in a box of housewares she donated to Good Will. I guess she figured that would make it disappear for good – except that she asked for a tax receipt for the box. The guys found it in her desk and tracked down her donation. It hadn't made it to the shelves yet. When CSU took the knife apart, they were able to match the blood traces on the tang – that metal that sticks into the handle – to Eric Donnelly, too. And there was also trace on Loretta's running shoes that matched the fibers of the rug in Carlton Snodgrass' apartment. That all adds up to a very solid case for charging Loretta Peters with double homicide."

"How about Muirland Stamping? Don't they get hit with anything?" Richard wonders.

"They sell across state lines, so the NYPD had to hand that one over to the feds. Still, it looks like Lysander and Tibbits' luck may have finally run out."

"With all of that, you should be turning handsprings – metaphorically speaking. So, why is uneasiness clouding those lovely eyes?"

"I'm not uneasy – exactly," Kate protests. "I'm just thinking about my appointments tomorrow."

"Appointments with?" Richard prompts.

"The department doctor and shrink who are supposed to clear me for limited duty. It will just be riding a desk for another few weeks, but still…."

"You're not really nervous about the doctor, are you? You've been getting stronger. You certainly worked hard enough on the Donnelly case."

"I still can't do everything I want to do, physically, I mean. But I'm more worried about Dr. Burke. I still don't remember getting shot, and I have no idea what else he'll ask about."

"You could practice," Richard suggests.

"How? Have you got a shrink friend who could quiz me?"

"If possible, I try to avoid hanging around shrinks. They seem to always want to know what dark corners of my mind give rise to my stories. And as so annoys you, I do have a few secrets. No, I was thinking about a shrink simulation."

"A what?"

"Did you ever read about the Eliza program developed in the sixties? Even though it used a teletype, it responded in a way that made test subjects think they were talking to a real person. The original program was lost. Still, there have been others written in more up-to-date programming languages. I managed to acquire one to test out as a computerized psych/interrogator for my fourth book. It wasn't bad. I still have it. We could tell it to play shrink for you."

"Castle, you have the strangest collection of stuff."

"That's one of the reasons I stay away from shrinks. But if you like, you're welcome to use the program. It only reflects your own thoughts back at you, but the experience can be remarkably enlightening."

Kate's eyes flick around nervously as she gets out of Richard's car. "I guess, if I do use the program, I'll need you to set it up for me, but…."

"But you don't want me listening to whatever you tell the computer shrink?"

"Yeah," Kate admits.

"The artificial voice is kind of robotic, which grates on me. So, I have the program set up for text. You type. The responses appear on the screen. Nothing reaches anyone's ears. But I get it," Richard says, ushering her into the elevator to the loft. "That kind of thing is very private. So, until you tell me otherwise, I will keep myself elsewhere. The kitchen, maybe. There's a bacon brownie recipe I've been meaning to try out."

Kate makes a show of gagging. "Bacon brownies?"

Richard unlocks the loft's door. "Don't knock them until you've tried them. Which you very well may, before the day is out. So, ready to meet my little friend?"

"No, but I'll do it anyway."

"By the way, my version's name is Anna, after Freud's daughter."

"Cute, Castle."

"Wait until you see her avatar."

"What can I call you that would make you most comfortable?" Anna inquires.

"You can call me Kate," Kate types.

"What do you want to talk about, Kate?"

"How I feel about returning to work after being shot."

"You were shot?"

"Yes. But I don't remember it."

"I see. You were shot, but you don't remember it. And how do you feel now, Kate?"

"A little stiff. I wish I had more stamina and could move faster. But I feel OK."

"How do you feel about being shot?"

"Embarrassed."

"Why do you feel embarrassed?"

"Because I was caught unprepared. I hate that. As a cop, I want to be prepared for everything."

"Do you believe cops can be prepared for everything, Kate?"

"No. Sometimes, things happen that no one can foresee. But I want to be as prepared as I can be. I wasn't."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you know? How do you feel right now, thinking about being unprepared?"

"Angry."

"Who are you angry at?"

"The department for not having better ways to detect snipers. And myself, for not having the tower the sniper shot from checked out ahead of time."

"So, next time, are you going to check for the same problem?"

"Damn straight, I am."

"You sound very emphatic, Kate."

"I am very emphatic, Anna. I want to put what I learned to work back on the job."

"So you want to go back to work?"

"Yes, as soon as possible."

"Then Kate, you've decided what you want to do."

A smile spreads upwards from Kate's lips. "Yes, Anna, I have."

"Then, it was good talking to you, Kate."

"It was good talking to you, Anna."

Grasping a wooden spoon, Rick looks up as Kate approaches the kitchen. "Hey! Just in time to lick the bowl."

"Your bacon brownies?" Kate asks.

"Actually, no. This bowl is from straight-up brownies, baking as we speak. I realized I didn't have enough bacon for the recipe. A shameful shopping oversight on my part. But next time, I will be fully prepared. So, did Anna help you feel better prepared for your big day tomorrow?"

You know," Kate muses, leaning against the counter, "I think she did."

Richard plops the bowl in front of her. "Glad to hear it. Now, spoon or spatula?"

"Spatula. Much more thorough for scraping everything off the sides."

Richard offers Kate the requested tool. "And Detective Kate Beckett is nothing if not thorough."

Kate takes the implement. "I hope so, Castle. I hope so."

"You're going to do great," Richard asserts. "I can feel it!"

Kate efficiently scrapes sweet, dark batter from the side of a heavy glass bowl. "Castle, from your mouth to the NYPD's ears."

Richard's lashes flutter. "If my mouth is going near any ear on the NYPD, it better be yours."

Kate heaves a dramatic sigh. "Esposito's going to be very disappointed."